A dream come true
by IreneSubtractler
Summary: This short story is based on a dream I had. The character Dmitri is based on Jafar from the film Aladdin. I do not own Aladdin or any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

The last rays of daylight streamed through the split in her curtains, giving the room a dim, yellowy glow. She lay, a woman of nineteen, sprawled across one side of a large bed, above the covers, beneath the covers beside her lay another figure. Her pale body shook as her nimble fingers clawed at the sheets beneath her. Her thin body was glazed with sweat and moved in controlled jerks. Her pale blue eyes widened. Her long, dark hair lay smoothly over her pillow and stuck to sides of her neck.

"Gahhh! Ahh!" She cried out. She slowly pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, still shaking.

"Ah shit, fuck, ah." She breathed out the words in a sigh. Each part of her ached, she had numerous bruised dotted over her body, but they were not the cause of her pain that time. She felt a deep pain in her chest and head and a dull ache covering her whole body with occasional and random, sharp jabs of pain. Her face twisted, contorting her usually delicate features.

The figure beside her began to awake. He pulled himself further out of the covers and ran a bony hand through his hair.

She shook violently; sweat continued to pour over her bare figure. She reached for the man's hand, but he pulled it away. He ran his fingers through her hair in a seemingly affectionate manner. He then grasped the back of her neck and with one jerky movement he pulled her in close so their cheeks were almost touching. His breath warmed the side of her face as he whispered into her ear,  
"You know what you have to do."

* * *

_Nine months earlier- January 2012_

It had been a long day, a productive day. Alina always loved those days, when she felt inspired by the simplest things, when her creativity blossomed. She worked in a hired art studio. It was small and hidden just a few alleyways away from the busy city centre. She left the studio at eight o'clock. It was a cold January evening so the sun was long gone. The cold air nipped at her fingers and the parts of her that peaked out from under her scarf and tightly wrapped coat. She briskly climbed down the steps and quickly through the dark alleyways. She was distracted by her ideas of her work, if she was ever distracted it was always by her work. It was all she had. She had switched to autopilot, her feet following the familiar lanes as the wheels of her mind spun. She had reached the main street on which she lived when she was suddenly dragged back to reality by a sharp pull on the crook of her elbow. The force of the tug made her stumble back away from the road she was about to cross, just in time for her to hear the honk of a car horn zoom past her, narrowly missing her. She was panicked and alert as though she'd been shaken awake from a dream. Taking another step back her foot landed on a treacherously icy patch, it slipped out from underneath her. Her arms flailed out looking for something to steady her, she inhaled sharply as she fell back.

But she didn't hit the ground. Her shoulders were caught seemingly in mid-air by something soft, but strong. Her head rested on a shoulder and a strong arm was hooked securely, but gently around her waist. For a moment she didn't move, she was shocked and felt rather sheepish. She wasn't usually this clumsy.

"Are you alright?"

The voice came from behind her. He was well spoken with a classic English accent, and it was soft, yet it resonated deeply in her ears.

She inhaled sharply to bring herself back to reality. She leaned forward out of the strangers arms; stood up straight and tried to brush off the embarrassment,

"I'm fine." She turned around to face the stranger. She had to pause for a moment to let her eyes soak in the details of his appearance.

At a first glance there were no extraordinary qualities to this man. His skin lay perfectly over his sharp cheekbones and was pale as the frost that surrounded them. The lightness in his complexion contrasted against the dark of his hair that fell down by the sides of his face. His eyes were surrounded by darkened rings, which made the whites of his eyes seem to glow slightly. His irises were mahogany coloured and entrancing. She couldn't pinpoint the exact positioning of it, but she dared to hope that she had seen a glimpse of kindness in his eyes. And though his lips were thin lines, pale and faded they were pulled slightly to one side, an amused smirk.

"Thanks, for… well, you know." She felt a grin growing over her face and a blush tinting her cheeks.

"Are you always this accident prone?"

"Well, no. Not usually." She stumbled over each syllable. Alina was not one to be so easily phased. She had always been so unimpressed by people.

"Dmitri." He outstretched a hand, pale, thin, but seemingly gentle. She accepted the handshake with another goofy grin,

"I'm Alina." She tried to regain control of her expression; she seemed to be smiling far more than was reasonable.

"Charmed." Maybe it was the wondrous accent or that he held a regal air, but something about him had charmed Alina. She watched the amused smirk grow into an amused smile, "Well as delightful as meeting you has been, you seemed to be in quite a hurry. So I'll-"

"Oh, no. I was just heading home." Alina's keen manner seemed to surprise her more than it did Dmitri; in fact he seemed unfazed by her eagerness.

A silence ensued. Dmitri seemed comfortable enough, so Alina was the one to break it.

"Can I do anything for you?" Alina's embarrassment was clearly out on display. In her head she had carefully constructed what to say, only when leaving her head had it become mixed up. Dmitri exhaled a short laugh then reached forward and swept Alina's hair out of her face,

"I'm sure you could." His dark velvet voice sent cool shivers down Alina's spine. There was a moment that felt like an eternity, until it was interrupted by snow beginning to fall.

"Oh, why don't you come in?" Alina felt ridiculous, she knew she felt an attraction to this man who was almost a total stranger. She had never really felt an attraction to anyone before, so she had no idea how to act upon it in a normal way.

"Come in?" Dmitri seemed thoroughly entertained by Alina's awkwardness.

"Oh, I live just across the road. If you were heading somewhere, that's fine. Of course I wouldn't want to-"

"You do realise we've only just met?" Alina's cheeks flushed pink again and her heart sank slightly.

"Yes, you're right I-"

"Well that's alright then. Shall we?" Dmitri smiled a debonair smile and offered a hooked arm, which Alina took, of course. They crossed the road linked at the arm and reached Alina's flat just as the snow had coated the whole street.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two months later- March 2012_

That snowy, January evening was only the beginning of Alina and Dmitri's friendship. By the start of March each aspect of Alina's life had seemed to improve. She was selling more paintings, almost every day was a good, productive day and above all she felt happy, as if she had something to look forward to. She was one hundred per cent smitten; spending days and nights hopeful for some more positive developments between them.

A week or so later Alina awoke to rain beating against her window and a grey mist coating the world. She pulled herself out of her cosy cocoon and into the chilly land of her drafty flat. She was used to the cold, experienced it every morning, but it wasn't enough to make her wear large, stuffy pyjamas. Instead she wore her girl boxer shorts and some form of small t-shirt. Alina clicked the kettle on and prepared herself a coffee. She was now where near fully awake, so when there was a knock at her front door she, in a dazed-like state, fumbled with her key until she unlocked the door. She opened it wide allowing a gust of sharp wind to gush in and whirl around her. She jumped as if she'd been dropped in icy water. Only then did she realise she was in her underwear on display for the whole busy high street to see, and of course the one who knocked in the first place.

It was a young woman, a few years older than Alina, but looking much younger. She had large greenish eyes sitting underneath pristinely shaped eyebrows. Her faced was rounded and her cheeks were flushed slightly red. Her blonde hair was partly hidden underneath an oddly fashionable, woolly hat; the rest lay over her shoulders in curls.

"Cute pants honey." She stepped in through the open door, "But honestly sweetie, it's a tad cold for those."

She pushed the door closed behind her, slipped her large, white fur coat off and walked straight to the kitchen. She draped her coat over a chair and prepared herself a cup of coffee, then poured hot water into Alina's and her own.

"Drink this darling." She sat down at the table with one legged crossed over the other showing off her new winter boots. "It'll do you a world of good."

"Thanks," She held the steaming cup to her lips, but did not drink from it. "Eva, it's lovely to see you—"

"Oh doll isn't it always?" Eva gulped down a mouthful of coffee then quickly exhaled, "Hot."

"Yes, of course." Eva had always been very sensitive so Alina tried her best to choose her words carefully, "I was just wondering… Well, I mean…" But Alina soon decided it was too early to worry about causing offense, "Why are you here? And why so early?"

Eva looked utterly injured,

"Can't a girl spontaneously visit her beloved little sister without an interrogation?" She slammed her cup down on the small wooden table. Alina inhaled sharply before she could stop herself. Eva was sweeping her blonde curls out of her eyes, her eyes darted to Alina.

"What?" Eva had always been skilled at injecting poison into words, for as long as Alina could remember Eva had had a knack for it.

"Nothing, nothing." Alina knew where this was going and she was desperate to avoid it, she contemplated running for the front door, if she hadn't had been in her underwear she very well might have.

"No. Say what you have to say. If you don't say it now, you'll just bitch about me later. I know what you're like Alina."

By now Alina usually found her sister's words humorously inaccurate. She'd learned to look past the venomous tone and focus on the actually words. It was something Eva failed to do. Alina had never had any time for gossiping or bitching, frankly it bored her. Besides that Alina had never spent much time with other people, so she couldn't have been a gossip even if she'd wanted to.

"Coaster." Alina spoke through gritted teeth.

"Is that all? Jesus Christ, Alina! Look at this table," Eva scooped up her cup and small drops of coffee dribbled down the outside of the cup. Alina followed them with her eyes, tuning out her sister's ranting. Eva's voice became a buzzing sound that was barely recognisable.

"_Alina? Alina!"_

Eva stood up and held herself so still that it seemed like she has been flash frozen. Alina shook her head slightly,

"Sorry Eva, I'm really tired." Alina waited for Eva to tell her that 'that is no excuse, after all we are sisters', but no reply came. No quick witted retort, no response of any sort. Instead Eva poured the remainder of her coffee into the sink, put the cup on the draining board and left. As she headed towards the door Alina ran after her.

Even though Alina was the younger sibling she had always felt it her place to look after Eva. Anyone who knew her well knew that her attitude soaked, tough gal exterior was all an act. She relied very much on the approval and opinions of others, a quality which Alina did not possess, usually. Although she tried to protect Eva as much as she could, that did not cause unusual sibling behaviour. Growing up they wound each other up and drove each other crazy, but not once before had Alina driven Eva to the point where she gave in. That wasn't Eva; Eva always had one more thing to say.

"Eva? Eva? I'm sorry, please, Eva." As Eva reached for the handle of the front door Alina took hold of her hand. Eva stopped. Flash frozen again. She didn't turn to look at Alina, she just froze.

"Eva, what's wrong?" Alina was very aware of the pleading tone in her voice. Eva pulled her hand away.

"Alina, you never listen." Eva, still facing the door, ran her hand through her hair. "Do you even know what I was talking about?"

Eva turned, watching Alina, awaiting a response. Alina pondered a moment; obviously she was getting very good at tuning Eva out.

"Coasters?"

"No," Eva leant back slightly against the closed door, "No, Alina, not coasters."

"Ah, well see I thought you were that's why I stopped listening. I mean, would you listen to me go on and on about coasters?"

Alina tried to force a laugh and a grin to lighten the mood, but her laugh sounded awkward and her grin looked inspired by terror. There was a long pause. Alina wasn't used to being in a situation with her sister where she was in the wrong; it always seemed to end with Eva stubbornly rejecting the blame that she rightly deserved. Not this time though and Alina was totally aware of her mistake, she had assumed her sister would act in her usual way. Alina had created a caricature of Eva in her mind and now she had acted in response to that rather than Eva herself. It dawned on Alina how much she could have hurt Eva, who was already so insecure. Alina didn't dare speak first; she had been careless enough with her words. Thankfully, Eva spoke,

"I should go. It was nice to see you. Next time why don't you haul your ass up to my place instead of expecting me to do all the travelling?" Eva's attitude had returned and at the corners of her mouth were the tell-tale creases of a forgiving smile that just wouldn't stay hidden.

"That sounds like a plan," Alina nodded and reached out to give her sister a hug. Eva accepted the hug. There was a loud knock at the door behind their embrace. Eva clamped her arms around Alina and squealed directly into her ear.

"Jesus!" Alina struggled free from the shaking Eva, trying her best to repress her amusement, "It's just the door."

"_Alina?" _A muffled yet familiar voice crept through the small chips and gaps in the door _"Are you alright?"_

Alina recognised the voice immediately,

"Dmitri." The word came out in a barely audible whisper, but Eva picked it up straight away.

In the past Eva had tried to explain love to Alina, who was not at all intrigued by the subject. Eva had described it as being unable to contain yourself at the sight or sound of them, her example had been Eva cried out the boyfriend-of-the-moment's and ran open armed towards him when spotting him getting of a bus. Alina's equivalent of that would have been whispering a name beneath her breath. So Eva was excited.

"Dmitri? Who's that? Do tell my honey." Eva brushed some hair out of Alina's eyes, at first Alina assumed it was an affectionate action meant to help coax information out of her. But when the preening did not stop Alina realised Eva was trying to "pretty her up".

"Eva, leave it." Alina brushed off Eva's hands and turned to open the door. She turned back just before she touched the handle, to give a stern look and a warning, "Don't, you dare say anything about me. Eva."

She opened the door to see Dmitri looking out on the street; he was rubbing his hands together, but waiting patiently for her. A moment after her front door opened Dmitri turned to face Alina, they simultaneously grinned. Alina took another moment to admire him.

While Dmitri was some years older than Alina, he had a modestly stylish appearance. On that cold March morning he wore slim, black jeans, a grey blazer style jacket, that hung over his thin frame. He had old and worn red fingerless gloves offering near to no protection from the cold. His dark hair reached just below his jaw line, it lay in waves that had had no preparation other than a hand pushing stray strands from his eyes.

His eyes always seemed so dark, so beautiful. Alina always thought there was a trace of eyeliner around them, but on a sly closer inspection there was none, just dark, tired, bold, beautiful eyes.

"Come in." Alina's face dropped as she felt a cold breeze brush over her bare legs. "Damn."

Alina had frozen to the spot, she was unsure of what to do. She considered closing the door and getting some clothes on, but that seemed rude. Her other options were inviting him in and leaving him with Eva while she got dressed, or inviting him in and acting like nothing was wrong.

"Come in,"

"Aren't you a bit cold?" Dmitri's grin grew, Alina's cheeks redden and Eva interrupted.

"Come in honey!" She called from the kitchen; she had retaken her place at the table.

"Of course, you must meet my sister." Any possible enthusiasm that could have been felt for any part of that statement was completely absent, but Dmitri just smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

_Two months later- May 2012 _

Rain was dripping down the windows of Alina's flat. She sat curled up on the sofa in a suspiciously large jumper watching the rain stream in little rivers over the dirty glass. Her hair was pulled to the side in a messy ponytail, but she was comfortable. There was no sound but that trickling of raindrops and the sound of a gentle breeze brush over the house's exterior with the occasional gust sneaking through a crack or gap. The quiet was suddenly broken by Alina's phone ringing, a steady rhythm,

'Brrr-ing. Brrr-ing… Brrr-ing. Brrr-ing.'

She checked her phone's screen and her face lit up. In an excited panic she answered it,

"Hello. Yeah. No, no I'm great. Yeah. Okay, when? What? Now?"

She looked at her phone in confusion just as the call ended. There was a familiar loud knock at her front door. Alina leapt up, bounded towards the front door and swung it open. Her, now rather common, goofy grin pasted on her face.

In the doorway stood Dmitri, Alina's heart leapt in her chest at the sight of him.

She couldn't hold it in anymore she jumped forwards a step and flung her arms around his neck. If Dmitri had been surprised he didn't let on, he just wrapped his arms around her waist. Alina's mind went back to the day they met.

"You do know it's raining out here, right?"

"Oh," Alina snapped out of her dreamy state, "Please, do come in."

They entered the flat. Alina was slightly damp and Dmitri was slightly soaked. Dmitri's hair was clinging to his forehead; he stood dripping onto the doormat wearing a long, high collar coat.

"Is that a new coat?"

Alina was glad to start a conversation that wouldn't inevitably end in her blushing.

"Yes, do you like it?" he gave a small, slow twirl.

"I love it, you look like Sherlock." Alina giggled

"That TV detective guy? I'm flattered" he flashed a mildly smug smile and nodded to Alina's apparel, "And what about you, is that a new jumper?"

Her eyes widened ever so slightly,

"Oh, I forgot I was… I hope you don't mind. You left it last time. Sorry, I'll go change." Slightly down heartened at her carelessness, she was just about to shuffle away,

"Oh, no, I think it suits you marvellously. It was always too small for me. Keep it on, in fact you can keep it entirely."

That afternoon was one to treasure, an afternoon when nothing practical was accomplished, but every moment spent became a diamond in Alina's memory. She could feel them growing closer each time they met, which in itself was becoming more frequent, but she wasn't satisfied with the speed at which they were bonding.

Over the course of the evening they'd gradually shifted closer and closer together until Alina's head was leaning on Dmitri's chest and her knees were pulled up, resting against his own. His arm was wrapped gently over her shoulders. Alina could hear Dmitri's heart beating in her ears, a rhythmic chant lulling her into a restful state. She could feel the warmth from Dmitri's body slowly spreading over her. She couldn't think of a time or place where she'd felt more comfortable, more at ease, more relaxed. She felt an odd sensation as a vibration, originating from her hip, echoed through her. She lifted her head slightly in befuddlement. Then,

'Brrr-ing. Brrr-ing… Brrr-ing. Brrr-ing… Brrr-ing. Brrr-ing…'

She let her head fall back on Dmitri's chest and sighed deeply. She felt his arm slide down her back, poke out under her arm and fish out the buzzing phone. He put his head down so his lips were tantalizingly close to Alina's ear.

"I think it's for you." He whispered. He slipped the phone into her palm, "Go on."

Alina sat up to answer her phone,

"Hello? Oh, hi Eva."

She felt Dmitri's arm pull slightly tighter around her waist. Alina felt her cheeks reddened ever so slightly and inwardly she squealed with delight then quickly regained control. She needed to calm down; there was no need to react so immaturely. Hoping to appear relaxed she leaned closer into him.

"Actually I am kind of b… Oh that's great!" there was an immediate change in her tone, "That's... that's… great! Congratulations! Yes, of course. Ok, I've got to go now, right, right, bye."

She tossed her phone on to the table in front of them,

"Well, Eva's engaged." Alina sighed running her hand through her hair and leaning back against Dmitri, it took her a moment to realise how close they were to each other. She tentatively turned her head until she could quickly glance at him out the corner of her eye. She caught his eyes scanning her face, their eyes didn't meet.

"Oh that's terrible." Dmitri revealed a teasing smile.

"No, no. Of course it's wonderful. It's just that now she's going to be pushing me to get into a relationship ten times harder than normal."

She spat out the end of the sentence with an unintentional disgust, hearing the venom in her own tone shocked her slightly. She ran her hand through her hair and closed her eyes for a moment. Everything instantly seemed simpler, whenever she was around Dmitri her mind went into a delightful panic. She felt totally out of control.

"Would that really be so bad?"

At the sound of Dmitri's voice a smile grew on her lips, his voice was like music caressing her ears. As his words sunk in her eyes flickered open. Once again he had easily caught her by surprise. She fumbled over her thoughts until she finally found some suitable words,

"Well… I mean… Not bad… I mean. I would depend on who it was with."

Right on cue her cheeks flushed pink.

"Well I'll tell you what," Dmitri removed his arm and turned so they were looking directly into each other's eyes, "I'll help you find this man."

Alina felt immediately crushed, he obviously didn't consider himself an option. The disappointment must have shown on her face,

"Or… woman?"

"No, no, no. That's not my division."

"Ah good. Oh, no, not that _that's_ bad." For the first time Dmitri seemed to show a hint of panic, "It's just… Never mind."

Alina couldn't repress a giggle. Dmitri shook his head, dismissing the moment.

"So what must this man be like?" Dmitri had regained his calm exterior and was looking to Alina for a response. He looked so intensely intrigued; Alina had to stop herself from staring at him for a moment so she could conjure up a description. An idea popped into Alina's head, she leapt up from the sofa and exited the room. A few moments later she returned to a rather confused Dmitri. She was carrying a large blue book.

"I paint for a living. I'm no good with words. So let's use someone else's words."

She sat cross legged on the sofa, with the book resting on her legs. Dmitri pulled in closer keeping his eyes on the book's cover,

"Lord of the Rings. So… Hobbits are your type?"

"Not quite." Alina laughed.

She opened the book, which on closer inspection was worn and clearly well used. She flicked through the pages,

"Ah, here. Read this bit." She passed the book to Dmitri and leant her head against his shoulder; she closed her eyes as he started to read.

"'_The face of Elrond-_' Mr. right- '_was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of the stars. Venerable he seemed as a king crowned with many winters, and yet hale as a tried warrior in the fullness of his strength._'"

There was a charged silence between them that seemed to buzz and tingle across Alina's skin. She wanted to break it, but she did not have the words. She opened her eyes and looked up to Dmitri, his eyes were reading on in the text. She felt a pang of annoyance, did he not realise those words brought his face to her mind? Was he not experiencing these wordless connections? Was everything Alina felt simply one way? It seemed to be. Alina finally told herself to accept it and that she was not allowing any more tiny glimmers of hope to continue. Her increasingly angry thoughts were interrupted by Dmitri's soothing voice.

"'_Young she was and yet not so. The braids of her dark hair were touched by no frost, her white arms and clear face were flawless and smooth, and the light of stars was in her bright eyes, grey as a cloudless night; yet queenly she looked, and thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years bring._'"

Dmitri stopped, closed the book and looked into Alina's eyes,

"I'm not really good with words either."

Alina inhaled sharply as his dark eyes seemed to burn into her own, but she maintained eye contact as she spoke,

"Is that your dream girl?"

Dmitri looked to the closed book. He brushed his hand over the rough cover and ran his fingers down the worn edges.

"Oh, no. I've never been very fond of Arwen, and the films totally ruined her for me."

He leaned forward and gently placed the book down on the table in front of them. He flung himself back on to the sofa and turned his head quickly. Dmitri and Alina were nearly nose to nose.

"But… That section does make me think of a lovely young lady I know."

"Oh?" Alina tried to sound casually interested, but the sound came out at least an octave higher than normal. Dmitri obviously noticed as a small smirk dawned on his lips.

"Yes, she's a real beauty, she's ever so funny and she has a tendency to blush deliciously at every opportunity."

Alina blushed _deliciously_,

"Ah, just like that." Dmitri laughed quietly, almost to himself.

Alina felt her goofy grin return and her cheeks flare up. She bowed her head as an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Her skin tingled from her head to her toes as a hand stroked the side of her face. She looked up surprised, caught unprepared by Dmitri once again. He cupped her face with both of his hands as the corners of his mouth pulled upwards into a gentle smile. Alina gazed into his dark eyes as they burned into her. Dmitri's hands guided Alina closer to him almost painfully slowly. Alina had dreamed of this moment night after night, she was helplessly caught in adoration. Alina felt her heart begin to race and she willed her cheeks to stop glowing so brightly. Even though he'd described her blushing as delicious she felt she should attempt to keep some dignity rather than show how much she was at his mercy, and willingly so. Their lips were barely apart and Dmitri's eyes scanned once more over her face before pulling her in.

Dmitri's hands moved; one to the back of Alina's neck, the other to the side of her head. She felt his fingers move through her hair and grasp the back of her neck firmly as his lips gently melted into her own. The room seemed to fade away. Each sight and sound didn't register, all that there was, was that kiss.


End file.
